Given all that's at stake in the 2008 presidential race, it's a bit terrifying to realize that by one measure, a major role is being played by an aspiring model/actress/fashion designer/former beauty pageant contestant named Amber.

Sunday's season premiere of The Sopranos marks the first fresh hour we've been able to spend with this HBO Mob classic since June. Keeping track of the families isn't easy from week to week, let alone with months in between. USA TODAY offers this quick guide to where the characters were and where they are now.

Few shows leave viewers wanting more than The Sopranos. Its last new episode aired in June 2004, leaving a 21-month gap. Creator David Chase is close-mouthed about plot, but viewers will learn the aftermath of Tony's murder of his cousin Tony Blundetto (Steve Buscemi) and Johnny Sack's capture by the feds.

Tony caught a break when the Feds caught his foe, mobster Johnny Sack. It was an unexpected, if overly convenient, plot twist that left The Sopranos on a hopeful note as its otherwise somber fifth-season finale aired Sunday (repeating Monday at 10 p.m. ET on HBO2).